Accusation OneThe Christian World Against Freemasonry

The Loss of France

There is no doubt that the Roman Catholic Church lost much of its power and influence after the Protestant Reformation from the 16th century on. However, its greatest blow in Europe came at the end of the 18th century when a revolution in France removed the ruling king and instituted a Republic. The thrust of the popular revolution is generally accepted to have been against the French throne and the country's aristocrats. What is not commonly understood is that the greatest single land owner and powerbroker in pre-revolutionary France was the Roman Catholic Church. Seen by revolutionaries as being probably more corrupt and unfeeling of ordinary people than the Crown, nearly all Catholic Church property in France was confiscated; abbeys and churches were destroyed and the rulers of the French Church were either banished, imprisoned or executed. This is a setback and an affront that the Catholic Church never forgot. It assumed, with some justification, that much of the fervour for the French Revolution was inspired by French Freemasons, most of whom belonged to what was and still is known as 'the Grand Orient of France'. This is yet another reason why the Roman Catholic Church is opposed to Freemasonry.

America

There was a time when Spain and France between them controlled the largest amount of territory in North and South America and of course both Spain and France were deeply Catholic countries. Power and control slipped from both nations when Great Britain in particular started to make greater and greater inroads into the French and Spannish empires. Great Britain was predominantly Protestant in denomination, a fact that angered the Catholic Church since it was losing even more influence across the globe. The success of the American Colonies in their war of independence against Great Britain did nothing to aleviate the concerns of the Catholic Church, particularly since it was decided that the new republic of the United States of America would adhere to 'no' religion but rather be a 'secular' state. Once again the Catholic Church blamed Freemasonry for this state of affairs since it was well known that a large percentage of the American revolutionaries were Freemasonic members and that even the colonial army had been organised along Freemasonic Lodge lines. The Masonic inspired secularism of the US particularly angered the Catholic Church.

Hardly Without Political Motivation

It has always been the case in our world that no institution relishes the fact that it is losing power and influence to any other institution. The Church is no different. It is therefore hardly surprising that a long tradition of hatred has existed for Freemasonry as far as the Catholic Church is concerned. True, it claims to have many doctrinal reasons for its condemnation of Freemasonry - not least the fact that any would-be Freemason simply has to admit to a belief in some 'higher power', without having to conform to any particular belief or denomination. Prospective Freemasons don't have to be Christian and 'freedom of belief' has been a motivating factor in Freemasonry since it first appeared. In truth, there is no tangible evidence that Freemasonry is opposed, or ever has been, to Christianity. If this was the case, Christians applying for membership would be prevented from becoming involved. The truth is that far more Freemasons adhere to Christianity than to any other belief system. Beyond this, there are degrees of Freemasonry in all parts of the world that have a distinctly Christian feel to them. In the United States, but also elsewhere, it is possible to attain degrees that relate specifically not simply to the Old Testament but to the New Testament of the Bible. Whether or not these 'should' exist, bearing in mind Freemasonry's avowed stance on religious adherence is a matter of debate for Freemasons themselves - but they do exist as proof positive that Freemasonry is in no way attempting to destroy Christianity. There may have been occasions on which certain Freemasonic (or supposedly Freemasonic) bodies made either a veiled or a direct attack on the Roman Catholic Church, but this is hardly the same thing as setting out to destroy Christianity. Like all large religious institutions Roman Catholicism is far more than a belief. It is a power structure, a brand and a huge business. As such it will fight strenuously to retain its influence and will kick hardest against those it most blames for diminishing that influence. Freemasons have fallen into this category simply because they do not adhere directly to Roman Catholic beliefs.